forbis



R. E. FORBIS.

ACW PH'OSPHAE APPJAIIRATUS.

APPucATxoN FILED MAR. 4, 1919,

Patented Och 7, 1919.

Smau/toa R. E. FORBIS.

ACID `PHOSPHATE APPARATUS. APPLlCAT-ION FILED MAR. 4.19l9. l\ 1,318,063. Panted oct. 7,1919.

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ammira R. E. FORBIS.

ACID PHSPHATE APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED IVI/1.4. |919.

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STRUCTION uoivirANY, or CHARLOTTE; NcnTH CAROLINA, A consonancia'.

ACID-:Paasmars APrARATUs l Specification of Letters Patent. i Patented Oct. 7, 1919..

`Application med March e, 1919. serial No. 230,525.'`

To all 'who-m t may concern; i t 'Be it known that I, REFUSE.' Formia a citizen Aof the United States, residing/at Charlotte, in the county of` Mecklenburg ble of use on other materials if desired. The

and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iii Acid-Phosphate Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly tothe manufacture of acid phosphate, but is capa# common method of making phosphate is as fOllOWSZ i Q The ground phosphate rock is miXed'wlth sulfuric acid in certain quantities ina mef chanical mixer, and is'then dumpedinto 'a rectangular den. Usually there l are 3 two dens; the acid phosphate being mixed on one day and emptied the next, and 'so' on.; the acid phosphate leaves the mixer iti-is as a heavy hot liquid, vapors and gases being given ofi',- and these are d rawn oil' by ventilators or by a fan. The acid phosphate is allowed to stay in the denlongeno'ughto solidify and to complete the chemical re.

action before being removed, so as to put it in acondition that it canl behandled. Theden is usually sealed during this period of conditioning, Vso as'to keep the `heat of the reaction, as it assists the' drying outof the acid phosphate and the chemical reactions. The material has heretofore been 'removed in a number of ways, occasionally by wheelbarrows, where it is delivered yto an elevator which in turn delivers it to a Adump car for Y removal-to vstorage piles. In many cases there are conveyers under the dens connected to an elevator, men going in 4and pulling the acid phosphate to the conveyers so that the acid phosphate can be discharged from thebottom. Again, an electric shovel goes i'nto the dens land puts the acid phosphate on togthe conveyer under the dens, other mechanical methods beingl used.

The great drawback in discharging the den is that the gases and vapor given ofi' are very disagreeable, notonly being hard on the men employed, but on any equipment,-

and it is often difficult to get labor to do this work.

The less the acid phosphate is handled the better the condition of the acid phosphate, hence any apparatus that enables the acid phosphate to be made soV that it can be produced cheaply and. without much hanand make a continuous den system.

dling yis advantageous. A duplicate den requires duplicate mixers, hoppers and weighing apparatus, etc.

One object' of the present invention is to do away with the duplicate den system, In place of the rectangular4 dens there is used a circular revolving large-enough to holdthe-days mixing in' three-fourths ofl the den, leaving the other fourth empty. The 'mixer discharges the thick liquid acid phosphate into the' den at one point, and as vthe den revolves very slowlythe. acid phosphate begins to set before it reaches thedischarge point, which isv distant three-quarters of the'circumference of the den. By the time it reaches the discharge point the vacid phosphate is conditioned 'ready to be taken out. 'The den.' can`be operated so that the acid phosphate can be' taken out the following day.

The mechanical arrangements are such able form, such as a steel knife, or a'wire,

so that the knife shaves the acid phosphate inthin layers, averaging an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick as desired. The material is dropped into the elevator buckets so that it is removed in good condition 'with the least possiblehandling Other meansfof removing the acid phosphate could be'iised.

The den is revolved by a cable (such as vBurn-s n.v roasts, or cHARLoTTE, NDRTH CAROLINA, Assieivoa TocHnMicAL GON- den, this den being drive of a merry-go-round), or in any other way desired, it beingarranged so as to vary the travel and reverse it.

The den is constructed of any suitable material, steel lined, or reinforced concrete.

It sits on a circular track. The top is stationary and. is perfectly gas tight,` or it can be carried on theden itself by sitting on rails attached to the top of the den, and still remain stationary. The gases may be drawn out from the top by a fan or ventilator. The den is perfectly tight and the troubles due to falsecovers and den doors` are completely overcome'. The elevator. is

form may be at the ground levelv and the parts thereunder set-in a pit. The `Vden comprises an annular trough or chamber 8 of sufiicient size, sayv to hold tons of material. It is supported by rollers 9 which 'travel on a circular track 10, and it may be turned by any suitable means, such for example as a cable driving' mechanism 11.

At one point over the den the platform supports a mixer 12 from which the mixture may be discharged into the. den through an opening in the platform. At another point, preferably about three-fourths the way around, the platform supports any elevator 13, the excavating and elevating devices of which extend through an opening in the platform and into` the den. Any suitable form of elevator may be used. I have shown 'one of the chain and bucket type, extending across almost the full width of the den so as to effectively empty the same. The chains carry cutters 14 which slice ofi' the material andV it drops into the bucket below. The elevator is covered by a housing 15 to con fine the gas and may be driven -by any .suit.

able power applied in the ordinary manner. It may discharge into another elevator 16, through a chute 17- which traps the gas. And nally it may be discharged onto conveyers or other suitable transportation devices.

The innerand outer rims of the den are luted' by troughs 20 containing tar, or the like, into which circular flanges 21 dip, these flanges being fixed to the under side of the platform. Y

In operation, as referred to above, the fresh mixture is vfed from the mixer into the den at one point and is slowly carried around by the revolution of the den to the point of discharge where it is excavated and hoisted by the elevator and discharged, the speed of revolution being 'slow enough to insure lthe proper conditioning' of the material. It will be seenv that the `material is inclosed and c'onned, and -no gas can escape during the operation. Manual operations are unnecessary and the workmen are not exposed to the' fumes. I claim:

1. An apparatus of the kind described,

comprising a closed revoluble chamber into in said chamber and an elevatormounted on said cover at another point, and extending into said chamber to remove material therefrom.

3. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a top platform, a revoluble annular container thereunder, seals between the rims of the container and the platform, and an elevator mounted on the platform and'depending through kthe'same into the container, to remove materialtherefrom.r

4. An apparatus ofthe kind described, comprising a top, an annularchamber there` under, one of said parts being fixed land the other revoluble relatively thereto, means to deposit material into said chamber, and anelevator mounted on the top and depending into said Achamber to remove material therefrom. p

5. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a fixed cover, a revolubleclosed annular chamber thereunder, and an elevating excavator mounted on the'cover and 4depending through the same into said chamber and A.extending across the same between the side walls thereof.

6. An apparatus of theikind described,

comprising a fixed cover, a revoluble closed v annular trough-shaped chamber thereunder having side walls and a bottom,` and an elevating excavator supported on the cover and depending into the chamber' adjacent.

to the bottom and side walls thereof.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUFUS E. ITORBIS.

1Vl/vitnesses:

SLoAN S. Smarriti., Gao. Il. Snstnr. 

